Activists Urge New GOP Tone

By

Neil King Jr. and

Victoria McGrane

Updated Nov. 25, 2012 8:57 p.m. ET

In digging to explain why the Republican Party fell short in the Nov. 6 election, some conservatives say the GOP needs to shed the perception that it is a defender of big business and large financial institutions.

These activists—including tea-party activists but also some mainline Republicans—say the party should adopt a more populist tone, one that places more emphasis on ways Republican policies would help the middle class.